Giant's Jason Pierre-Paul returns to Arlington, Texas, site of his breakout game vs. Cowboys

Jason Pierre-Paul always seems to play well against the Cowboys. Last year, he stunned the Cowboys when he blocked Dan Bailey’s potential game-tying, last-second field goal attempt from 47 yards out, preserving the Giants’ 37-34 victory.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jason Pierre-Paul appeared completely confused.

The football was snapped and the rest of the Giants’ three-man defensive front – Justin Tuck and Chris Canty – engaged with its offensive counterparts, while Pierre-Paul remained in his three-point stance for a second or two longer.

The Cowboys were driving in the final minute of last season’s game here and Tony Romo flipped a pass out to the left flat, where Felix Jones ran onto it and quickly turned the corner with nothing but open field in front of him.

Well, nothing but Pierre-Paul and nearly 10 yards of space on either side of him.

That’s when Pierre-Paul – having now dropped back 5 yards off the line of scrimmage – was able to gather himself,

close in a hurry and deck Jones, driving him out of bounds just as the speedy running back started to get going.

And while most recall that moment as the one that punctuated Pierre-Paul’s breakout performance, his remarkable tackle of Jones is what teammates still marvel at most.

“Phenomenal,” Antrel Rolle said. “He made the play to win the game by blocking the field goal, but the play of the game was that tackle of [Jones]. The athleticism for a defensive end to make a play like that against a shifty guy like that – wow – and right there everyone got to see what we already knew.”

Pierre-Paul announced his presence in emphatic fashion that December night with eight tackles, two sacks – one for a safety – a forced fumble and a swat of Bailey’s boot.

With the Giants returning to Big D this afternoon in a pivotal rematch of their opening night loss to the Cowboys, Pierre-Paul was asked to relive the game that ended up stamping him as one of the league’s premier defensive players.

“I just showed up and played, that’s it,” he said. “It was nothing special.”

In an obvious attempt to show some humility, Pierre-Paul also acknowledged – albeit unintentionally – just how high he set the bar last time he was inside Cowboys Stadium.

Offensive game plans are now exclusively geared to neutralize his ability to wreck plays.

Rarely does he find himself singled up against one potential blocker in a game.

A lack of statistical production this season (26 tackles, 4.5 sacks) has been a source of frustration on his part at times. Pierre-Paul, 23, had twice as many sacks through seven games in 2011, although defensive coordinator Perry Fewell promises his presence has changed the way the opposition tries to stop the Giants.

“JPP plays at a very high level,” Fewell said. “To produce those numbers consistently, that’s a little bit unrealistic. He has the capability to do that. When I look at the tape, I see him just dominate, and it might not show up in the statistics, but it shows up on the coaches’ tape where he just dominates a football game.”

Pierre-Paul sacked Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III last week and also forced a fumble on a tackle of the rookie for a loss.

“Technique wise, it’s getting better: playing the run, playing the pass, converting the run into the pass, reacting to things much quicker,” Pierre-Paul said. “As a football player, I’m just still learning the game, really, but I’m getting better and better each day. You just don’t drop and get worse, so I’m getting better and better as I see it.”

Romo took advantage of the Giants’ desire to make big plays in the Cowboys’ 24-17 victory Sept. 5. Pierre-Paul said Big Blue went for too many home runs, allowing Romo to escape their pressure and throw for three scores.

The Giants are out to flip the script this time around with better discipline, and would love a performance from Pierre-Paul like last year’s breakout effort.